Category: Nail Polishes and Treatments

Chanel Holiday 2011: Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis ($25.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is an intense, luxuriously ruby-shimmered red with blue undertones. The formula is lovely; the consistency is thin without being watery, so the polish flows evenly across the nail surface but still packs a lot of pigment in each coat. I only needed two coats for opaque color with Rouge Carat. I’ve had good luck with Chanel’s formula myself, as I don’t find it chips or bubbles and generally wears a week with minor tip wear. Though the shade is surely gorgeous, red is such a common polish shade that most brands have half a dozen or more variations on it. You might consider these alternatives: Zoya Lisa, Zoya Carrie Ann, Milani Melt Down, or Duri Bombshell.

MAC Glitter & Ice Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Glitter & Ice Nail Lacquers ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz. each) include three limited edition shades for the holidays. These will hit stores on October 27th, 2011, but luckily I was able to snag the collection through an unveiling party (had to find a store that would ship to me!) to get swatches and photos for you. The three shades are: Unconditionally Fabulous (super sparkle white), Festive Finery (dirty mid-tone greyed violet), and Get Noticed (true bright red).

Unconditionally Fabulous has multi-colored glitter with both circular and hexagonal shapes suspended in a clear base. The consistency is fairly thin, so you could feasibly do three coats of it, though I did just two for swatching purposes. It’s just like China Glaze Snow Globe (to be reviewed) and similar to Deborah Lippmann Stairway Heaven.

Festive Finery is a grayed purple with a cream finish. It was opaque in two coats, and it was really easy to work with–no trouble with this one. China Glaze Below Deck is less purple and lighter but much purpler and lighter compared to Chanel Paradoxal.

Get Noticed is a darkened medium red with blue undertones and a cream finish. I used two coats and had opaque color. The formula was nice on this one; flowed evenly and no bubbling. It reminded me of MAC Obey me but darker–more like Rescue Beauty Lounge Glamourpuss.

Compared to the last batch of MAC polishes, these are much, much better. I feel like I’ve seen shades like Unconditionally Fabulous several times this holiday season, so while it is very pretty and fun for layering, it seems rather dupeable. I would say the same about Get Noticed, as it is a clean red, which most brands have done and continue to do. Festive Finery is the most unique out of the three. I typically get a week of wear with minor tip wear with MAC’s polishes.

NYX Ice Glitter (209) Salon Formula Nail Polish

NYX Ice Glitter (209) Salon Formula Nail Polish ($4.00 for 0.52 fl. oz.) is a holographic glitter polish with small particle glitter and larger hexagonal particles all suspended in a clear base. It looks almost silver, but then the particles give off a rainbow reflection. I wish the photos turned out better, because it’s so stunning in person–it dazzles and shimmers and shines. The effect is gorgeous!

This is a newly released formula by NYX, and if you have any Deborah Lippmann polishes, the bottle is going to seem more than familiar. The major difference is the cap; NYX has a glossy black cap, while Deborah Lippmann has a rubberized cap (so it has a matte black finish), and the latter is easier to hold. I tested out NYX’s formula this past week using two different shades (a shimmer on one hand, this glittery shade on the other), and I didn’t have any wear issues, just minor tip wear after seven days.

Ice Glitter has a thin consistency, which is different than a lot of other glitters like this one, because they tend to have thicker, almost gel-like bases, which often assist in giving the glitter better distribution on the nail. I felt like a thicker base would have helped pull the glitter more evenly, but I still felt like the distribution was decent overall with the thinner consistency. The thinner quality makes it easier to layer without building up too much thickness on the actual nail. As you’d expect, removal is no picnic, and you’ll want to give the remover some time to soak and break down the polish before actually pulling the polish off.

P.S. — Please forgive the random red glitters; this was the seventh or eighth glitter polish I swatched for photos.

Deborah Lippmann Stairway to Heaven Nail Lacquer

Deborah Lippmann Stairway to Heaven Nail Lacquer ($18.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) contains multi-colored square (mostly) glitter suspended in a clear base color. The polish is thicker, not quite gel-like, but it’s thick enough that after two coats (which is what is shown here) that I wouldn’t go for a third and expect excellent wear. There are large, square-shaped glitter in greenish-teal, bluish-green, light-medium purple, and golden orange. There also appears to be hexagon-shaped glitter in the same golden orange color.

This shade could be used for layering, but I really liked it alone. It was fun and whimsical; not your most obvious choice for holidays, but it has a wintry vibe to it. I could see it seeming more appropriate for spring, because of some of the overall lightness in color, but I just keep thinking “winter wonderland.”

Though glitter polishes are often difficult to remove, this seemed extra difficult, so it will require patience and plenty of your favorite remover. The key is to let the remover soak through the layers of polish, which will make it easier to remove. Generally, I get a week of wear with Deborah Lippmann’s polishes with minimal tip wear. Nothing comes to mind as a dupe, but maybe Temptalia readers know of one to share! 🙂

Deborah Lippmann Holiday 2011: Do Ya Think I’m Sexy Nail Lacquer

Deborah Lippmann Do Ya Think I’m Sexy Nail Lacquer ($18.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) contains hexagonal red-hued glitter suspended in a fairly thick, clear base. It’s something that would work better for layering than alone, because I couldn’t get near to opaque in two coats. You’ll really have to move and finagle with the glitter so that it is spaced evenly across the nail. I tried to work it across and into areas where there were no glitter but still had some bunch-up.

I think you lose some of the interest from the hexagon-shaped glitter particles when they get layered over each other in an attempt to go opaque, because in this shade, they’re all the same color. As a holiday shade, it could easily be layered over golds and silvers for added oomph. I don’t have tons and tons of glitters in clear bases, so nothing came to mind to dupe it, but I bet you could find red glitter in a clear base–though it may be harder to dupe the shape. (Would love to hear your potential dupes!)

The swatches do not include a top coat, because I wanted to show off the texture of the polish, so you have an idea. It’s not going to be smooth–you’ll have some bumps and unevenness because of how the glitter pieces collide and lie on and near each other. I’d recommend two thick layers of top coat if you wanted something smoother. Removal is par for the course with a glitter polish and will take some extra patience and elbow grease. I normally get a week or so of wear with minimal tip wear from Deborah Lippmann’s polishes.

Glitter Gal Lizard Belly 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer

Glitter Gal Lizard Belly Nail Lacquer ($14.00 for 0.30 fl. oz.) is a 3D holographic particle polish. Glitter Gal is an Australian-based brand, but the U.S. stockist Leah Ann sent me a few shades to try, and I immediately gravitated towards Lizard Belly. The base color is an inky, blackened bluish-green with holographic flecks–which translates into a galaxy of rainbow-hued stars. The effect is certainly cool, but I’m more impressed by the formula. It has amazing flow, and the consistency is an excellent balance between thick and thin. I wore Lizard Belly for ten days with minimal tip wear–it’s extremely durable.